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He also said he would look at the guidance issued to local authorities who may be unaware of the extent of their powers and their ability to use these powers.

In was in light of this latest development that councillor Joe Rayment (Labour, Twerton) proposed the council consider a further report on Uber’s working practices.

He said: “The problem with some of these organisations is that whilst they may appear to provide benefits to the customer in terms of convenience and conditions, there are widespread concern about questionable working practices.

“Evidence suggests that wages have been forced to the floor while the way in which these companies organise themselves means that they often do not pay their fair share of VAT, national insurance or income tax.

“In a report to council, we were essentially told that we weren’t able to consider a company’s employment practices when deciding whether to issue a Private Hire Operators Licence and that we had no power to revoke Uber’s Private Hire Operator’s Licence.

Unhappy taxi drivers at the rank by Bath Abbey

“The Government, however, has now committed to examining the working practices of the Private Hire industry and has pledged to issue new advice to local government to ensure they are using their powers.”

According to Uber, the vast majority of drivers say they want to remain self-employed and that being able to choose their own hours was the main reason why they signed up in the first place.

A spokesperson for Uber added that the company has announced a partnership with the Self-Employed and Freelancer Association (IPSE) to offer a range of benefits for drivers.

Uber also launched a number of initiatives following feedback from thousands of drivers, including Earnings Advice Sessions, discounted access to pensions and ISAs and free skills courses.